The definitive biography of Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of El Alamein. Based on Montgomery's secret diaries, letters, and vast collection of private papers, which have remained confidential and inaccessible until now, this is the first volume of the authorized life of General Montgomery.
Written by a historian who knew Montgomery intimately in his later years, Monty breaks entirely new ground. Nigel Hamilton presents the unknown Montgomery in behind-the-scenes accounts of him as soldier and leader, son, father, and husband. Aided by Montgomery's numerous letters, the author paints a vivid picture of world events as they shaped the destiny of one of the world's greatest field commanders.
Illustrated with black-and-white photos. 871 pages.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The finest possible appraisal of a great soldier.,
By Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Monty: The Making of a General : 1887-1942 (Hardcover)
Eminent historian, biographer and author Nigel Hamilton has produced a series of three books which trace Montgomery's entire life. They are; Monty - The Making of a General (1887-1942), Monty - Master of the Battlefield (1942-1944) and Monty - The Field Marshall (1944-1976). Confusingly, my original review for the first of these titles, however, also appeared against others! That review is now revised to include all three books and I hope the reader finds this useful.
No detail has been spared in providing as complete a picture as possible of this great man - with each volume being in the order of 400-500,000 words and standing pre-eminent because of previously unpublished supporting photographs and other material. With access to his private letters, diaries and other papers, in "The Making of a General" he takes the reader from the birth of Montgomery in 1887 to his promotion to Lt General and command the Eighth Army in 1942. This is a fine account of the years in question. Pictures of Montgomery as a child, boy, young officer, family man, and in every rank up to Lt General are an important part of the history of this man. As an example, of the many thousands of officers and soldiers present, how ironic that a "Lt Colonel" Montgomery should be photographed standing in front of Winston Churchill during a Victory Parade in 1918. Elsewhere, the numerous other historic photographs include a young Major A. E. Percival (who as Lt General Percival surrendered Singapore to inferior Japanese forces in 1942!) to name but one. In "Master of the Battlefield," the depth of research and revelation continues as Hamilton provides a truly extraordinary analysis of Montgomery's time at the forefront of WW2 in Europe and the Mediterranean. From his time as Army Commander in charge of some 180,000 soldiers through to his responsibility for the planning of D-Day - which time he commanded over 2 million Allied Troops. As Hamilton freely admits; this story reveals "the true torment, frustration, misunderstanding and dissatisfactions that are the hand-maidens of those who make history." For me, the work is also an exceedingly fine account of what was easily Montgomery's most difficult, yet worthwhile, years on earth. In the third and final part of the trilogy (Monty - the Field Marshall) we have the difficult years of Montgomery having to live with his achievements - from the closing stages of WW2 right up to his death in 1976. Montgomery was promoted Field Marshal on 1 September 1944 - in time to take command of the liberation of Europe. Nothing is overlooked in this exposé which provides an understanding of why there were the bitter disagreements with other senior Allied commanders. His time as Military Governor of post-war Germany, his appointment as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (Head of the British Army), his attempts to provide the British Labour government obsessed with retreat from the country's Imperialist past with a clear plan for the defence of the Realm, his battles with that government, his role as architect and founder of NATO and, above all, his continued propensity for antagonising both his Allies and his superiors. Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery was finally transferred to the inactive list (British 5 star officers never retire!) in 1958 as he approached his 71st birthday. This milestone, however, heralds yet another chapter in the life of a busy man which, in this work, was revealed for the very first time. Hindsight is, of course, a fine science, and there are many interesting events which the historian (and even the amateur psychologist!) might now regard as the reason why Montgomery became what he became and did what he did. There was his strict upbringing as the son of a Reverend (later Bishop) both at home and abroad, public school, formative years in an army of Empire and the events of World War 1 which almost claimed his life. In 1936 there was the tragic death of his wife. In this series of three books, Hamilton reveals the very best that Montgomery ever was whilst also providing the reader with an understanding of his difficult side. Commendably, he has not allowed his personal friendship for his much older subject to blur his objectivity and thus provides a full and fine account of a great man. In so doing, these 3 books have become an important contribution to both British history and the history of the Second World War. More importantly for some, they are also an excellent read. NM
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Changed My Opinion of Montgomery,
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This review is from: Monty: The Making of a General : 1887-1942 (Hardcover)
Monty The Making of a General 1887 - 1942, by Nigel Hamilton, covers the life of Field Marshal Montgomery from his birth in 1887 to his victory at the 2nd Battle of El Alamein in 1942. This work is the first in a trilogy of the life of Montgomery. The second volume is Master of the Battlefield 1942-1944 and the third is The Final Years of the Field Marshal 1944-1976. The author has built a career writing about Monty, besides these three works he has also written Montgomery, D-Day Commander, The Full Monty, Monty, The battles of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, and Monty, The Man Behind the Legend. Having read all of them I strongly recommend the Trilogy because the other four books are just a rehash of the material you will find in the Trilogy. And while Nigel Hamilton is not on my list of favorite authors he does do a magnificent job of recounting the events of Montgomery's life as well as his quirks and personality in the 2400 pages that make up the Trilogy. When reading one of Hamilton's books the reader must know up front that Hamilton is unabashedly biased in his praise for Montgomery, the reader will soon discover that every Allied General Officer mentioned I his writings is a complete incompetent except for Alan Brooke and of course Monty. And what faults Hamilton does find with Monty, and he does find many, he conveniently blames on Monty's relationship with his mother. While Hamilton's depictions of events are accurate his bias is revealed in his analysis of those events. For instance Montgomery's insubordination towards every superior but Alan Brooke is excused by Hamilton because of Montgomery's "professionalism". This is because, I believe, Hamilton was never a Soldier; a Soldier will tell you there is nothing professional about insubordination.
Hamilton does a fine job covering Montgomery's childhood and relationships with his parents and siblings and reveals Monty was the black sheep of the family. In fact the reader initially sympathizes with the young man until he sets a class mate on fire in Sandhurst as part of a prank. Hamilton will make much of Monty's WWI combat experience when in fact is only lasted four months from August to October 1914 when he was wounded and evacuated to England. He was wounded after he had established his platoon defense and wanted to see what it looked like from the enemy point of view. So he walked out into no man's land and turned his back towards the enemy to view his lines. He was immediately shot in the back by a sniper who also killed one of Monty's men who tried to retrieve him. This was not a professional act. A Soldier would look at his situation and think "what an ass". And the fact that he caused the death of one of his Soldiers was criminal. Monty spent the rest of the War on Staff, first in England and then in France. During the inter-war years Hamilton describes Monty's experiences in Ireland, the Middle East, India, and the Middle East once more. It was during this time period where Monty established his well deserved reputation as a trainer of Soldiers. Hamilton drops a hint that there might have been a scandal concerning Monty's Battalion Command. It seems that after he left his Battalion it was discovered that the marksmanship records of the Battalion may have been fabricated to make the unit look better than it was. At any rate the unit turned out to be much poorer shots as soon as Monty departed. Not very professional. It was also during this time frame where Monty married his wife Betty, had a son and then lost his wife. Hamilton covers Monty's command of the Third Division during the initial stages of WWII and the evacuation of Dunkirk. Monty's subsequent command of XII Corps and then the Southeastern Command which Monty unilaterally called the Southeastern Army so he could consider himself an Army Commander. The next command he had was that of the 8th Army where he became a hero to the English. His insubordination to Auchinleck, his bad mouthing of Alexander, his going to sleep while the battle of El Alamein raged just to awake and find his plans had gone awry are all covered by Hamilton. All in all, well worth the read. You will learn a lot of things about Montgomery, many of the not flattering. This book went a long way in changing my opinion of Montgomery, and not for the better. Kudos to Nigel Hamilton.
8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A knife though granite,
By
This review is from: Monty: The Making of a General : 1887-1942 (Hardcover)
A superb and insightful study of the greatest Allied general of WWII and the century. I read it in great gulping chunks. Very interesting analysis of the psychosexual aspects of Monty and his relationship with his troops by one who knew him. A fascinating discussion of how in 9 weeks Monty turnded around a 200,000 man army from defeatism and slackness into one which secured the first convincing defensive and offensive battle wins by the Allied forces (principally New Zealand and Australian) against Rommel's hitherto invincible Africa Corps. I would recommend it for anyone interested in history, the military, human psychology and management.
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